Steering-gear.



T. MAYHEW.

STEERING GEAR. APPLIGATION FILED APR. 12, 1910.

Patented Aug. 8,1911.

/6 i 120$ Fig. 2 w I v V 11 of any desired pitch and the casing to the channel bar.

THEOPHILUS MAYHEW. OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN. ASSIGNOR TO AMERIG'AN PROJSIO'JTIIBTG COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or ARIBQNA .TERRITQBY,

STEERING-GEAR.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that l, 'lmzornincs MAY- new, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit. in the county of \Vayne and Ftate of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improveluelits in Steering-Gear, of which the tu lowing is a specification. reference being had therein to the aecouipanving drawings. This invention relates to steering gears for automobiles or other self-propelled vehicles and more particularly to certain details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts all as hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure .1 is a side elevation embodying the invention with one side of the casing removed and parts broken away to show the construction; Fi 2 is a transverse section of the same on t e line :v-w of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a'longitudinal section on the line g y of Fig. 1. a

In the drawings 1 indicates the lower end of a steering shaft rotatably mounted in a suitable casing 2 which is made in halves to facilitate the assembling. This casing is preferably provided at one side with an integral flange 3 having curved slots 4- therein to receive flanged nuts 5 slidable therein and engaged by bolts 6 for adjustably sc-' curing the flange and casing to the-channel bar 7 forming part of the vehicle frame or other suitable support for the casing. A

boss 8 having a screwthreaded boreis' also provided on the side of the casing in a 0- sition to be engaged by a bolt 9 for securing The casing is adapted to turn upon the bolt; 9, the nuts 5 sliding within the slots 4 to ad'ust the easing to any desired angle. 1' hen so ad- .justed the bolts 6 and 9 may be tightened and the casing thus securely held in the desired position.

-\ sleeve 10 having external screw threads type is secured in any suitable manner to the shaft; 1 within'the casin or said shaft may 'be enlarged and the t reads formed thereon,

the annular faces or shoulders 12f med by each end ofthe sleeve aetin as tlii'ust hearings to prevent longitudina movement of. theshaft in the casing. Nuts 13 and 14 cog-e33: t iicrwthrea ded sleeve and are s ification of Letters Patent.

Application flied April 12, 1810. Serial No. 555,018.

side of the casin Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

provided with flanges 32 or otherwise formed to prevent their rotation within the casing but free to slide longitudinally herein.

Mounted in suitable bearingsin the lower is a transverse shaft 15 having secured tiereon arms 16 which'extend upwardly mg each side of the sleeve between the ad aCentends of the nuts 13 and it. -()n a squared end of the shaft; 15 is nounted a member 17 having notches form mg teeth 1 8 in one face and'nlso formed w th a pro cctmg tapered sleeve portion 19 adapted to be engaged by a head 20 of a steering arm 21 which-head is provided with a similarly tapered bore to engage the sleeve l9 and with notches at one side forming teeth to interlock with the teeth 18. The outer end of. the shaft 15 is reduced and screwthreaded to receive a washer 22 to en gage the end of the head 20 and a nut 23 to force the washer into engagement with the head :h d crowd the head into locking engagement with the'member 17. By loosen ing the nutv 23. the steering arm may be easily adjusted'to anv desired position rela- Between the nut 14 and tive to the arms 16. the adjacent side of the arms 16, a plate 24 is interposed, said plate being formed with 'side flanges 25, and the adjaccntend. of the nut 14 is formed with an inclined surface 26 adapted to be engaged by a wedge member 27 interposed between said surface and the face oi the plate 24, the wedge and plate being forked to. straddle the screw sleeve. A flat spring 28' is secured at one end to the upper side of the nut 14 and extends into engagement with the upper end of the wedge 27 to yieldingly force said wedge downward between the nut and plate and take up any lost motion caused by wear or otherwise between the nuts and the arms 16 and also to take up any lost motion which there may be between the nut 14 and the screw threads on the sleeve.

The lower end of the sleeve 10 has a bear ing upon the lower end of the casing and between its u per end or shoulder 12v and the'upper en of the casing are interposed two washers 29 having inwardly beveled opposing faces to receive a pair of op osed wed es 30, the projecting ends of whlcare cou fied bye pairof springs 31 hooked into J'pertm'es in the wedges under tension be ween thesame. These wedges automatimeans for maintaining endwise pressure on with curved contact surfaces extending be tween the nuts in engagement with the plane contact surface of said nut, a plate at the other side of the arm having a plane surface engaging said curvcdsurface of said callyl take up any end motion of the sleeve in t e casing due to wear.

In operatlon, the wedges 27 ard 30 automaticall move in or out to take up slack between t e arts and occasion a smooth constant yiel ing engagement between the head, and means interposed between said arts which prevents lost motion and wear. plate and adjacent nut to autonmtically he arran ement of the arms 16 on the shaft maintain endwise pressure on said nut and to which t e steering arm 21 is secured, said against said plate. arms rejecting upward between the nuts 3. A device of the character described and directly operated thereby, further tends com rising a casing, a continuous screw to prevent lost motion between the steering sha t in said casing, opposed nuts on the shaft and steering wheels of the vehi le as shaft lon itudinally spaced apart, an operthere are no links or other pivotall -conatin sha t. mounted in bearin s in the easnected parts to transmit motion from the ing transversely of the screw s raft, arms on nuts to the steering arm 21 and the arrangethe operating shaft provided with heads ment of the wedge 27 further tends to prehaving curved contact edges and extending vent any such lost motion by constantly between the nuts adjacent to the sides of the holding the surfaces engaging the arms in screw shaft, .and means interposed between contact therewith. one of the nuts and said arms, havin a Havin thus fully plane contact surface to engage the er es what I c aim is:- of said arms and adapted to automaticiiily 1. In a device of the character described maintain a constant endwise pressure on the the combination of'a casing, a screw shaft nuts in opposite directions.

in said casing, means at one end of said 4. A device of the character described casing for automatically maintaining a con comprising a casin a screw shaft in said stant cndwise pressure on the shaft in one casing, nuts on sai shaft one of which is direction, nuts on said shaft, a steering arm," provided with an inclined face at its end opan arm operativcly connected to the steerposing a plane contact face on the other nut, ing arm and projecting between said nuts said nuts being longitudinally spaced apart, in engagement with one of the same, and

a shaft arranged transversely of the screw means interposed between the other nut an arms on said transverse said arm to automatically maintain an endshaft in the casing, shaft extending between the ends of the nuts wise pressure on said nuts in o posite directions, said interposed means cing located and provided with curved contact edges, a

at the side of said arm farthest from said described my invention .wedge movable transversely of the shaft in contact with said inclined face of the nut, and a plate movable longitudinally of the shaft interposed between said wedge and arms and formed with a plane contactsurface to engage said arms.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

the shaft.

2. A device of the character described comprising a casing, a screw shaft in said casing,,nuts on the shaft having non-rotative slidable engagement with the casing,

one of said nuts being formed with aplane THEOPHILUS MAYHEW. contact surface at its end, a steering arm, Witnesses: an operating arm operatively connected with J an NIE L. MOUNTAIN,

head formed JONATHAN A. ZAHN.

the steering arm and'having a 

